A New Land
by OkamiWolvesForever
Summary: When Amaterasu decides to leave the Celestial Plain and return to Nippon, she finds herself craving a new kind of adventure. Dragging along the warrior Oki and her son Chibi with her, the three leave for the land of the free, America. (Amaterasu/Oki pairing)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Welcome to the first chapter of A New Land. I hope you enjoy it! (Also, the Crystal Pool is my invention-it's a little bit like a scrying pool)**

Amaterasu yawned. There was little to none action on the Celestial Plain these days. Her daily schedule was boring her. When she got really bored, (Which was to say, most of the time) she went for walks. She's been in every direction from her palace, she's even made up new directions on the compass. She could sleepwalk and still easily make her way through the maze of Cherry Blossoms in the giant orchard in the back of her palace.

Amaterasu stood up and stretched, walking over to the wall where her schedule hung. She took a look at it and sighed.

_**1\. **__Wake up-_check.

_**2.**__ Wake up Chibi-_I'll do all the rest after I'm done reading this for the millionth time.

_**3.**__ Get yourself and Chibi groomed._

_**4\. **__Eat breakfast._

_**5\. **__Free time-_Let me just fill this in with _Go for a walk. _

_**6\. **__Visit friends and relatives?-_Friends? They all live in Nippon, where I am NOT. Relatives, on the other hand...

_**7\. **__Try to convince Waka to let you return to Nippon. __**(Note: Has tried 142 times-unsuccessfully-to convince him.**_

_**8\. **__Come up with your 143rd excuse._

_**9\. TONIGHT IS A FULL MOON. MONTHLY MEETING AT THE TWIN MOUNTAINS!**_

_**10\. **__Keep trying to get in touch with Oki somehow. __**(Note: DO NOT USE THE CRYSTAL POOL. WAKA HAS MEN THERE. ANOTHER NOTE: HIS MEN WON'T DIE, AND VEIL OF MIST OR ANY OTHER BRUSH TECHNIQUE DOES NOT WORK ON THEM.)**_

_**11\. **__Eat a big dinner. You had no lunch today because you were too busy being bored. _

_**12\. **__Make sure Chibi goes to bed before you. __**(Note: He WILL wake you up and bug you until you knock him unconscious.) **_

_**13\. **__Go to bed. _

_**14\. **__Start at #1 when you wake up._

_**15\. **__Make sure to write 143 unsuccessful attempts unless you do not make a 143rd unsuccessful attempt today._

"Ugh," Amaterasu moaned. She walked out of her gigantic (meaning only being able to fit a large dog bed/throne, a small table, two chairs and a bowl of water about the size of Kabegami's paw) white room, and headed down the sun-yellow colored and very long hallway (five feet to be exact) to Chibi's room.

"Chibi?" She called softly into his small (and also white) room. She looked around, not spotting him anywhere. "Chibi!" She called, a little more forcefully. She walked in, looked under the table, chairs, and finally under the bed. She sighed. _He's gonna pull this one again. How is it that I'm never ready?_

"BOO!" Shouted Chibi as he suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Ahh!" Amaterasu yelped, stumbling forward. She accidentally stepped on the water dish, which splashed water in her crimson-marked face and down her furry white chest and finally onto her paws.

The little white red-marked pup laughed histerically. "That's the fifth time this week! That trick never gets old!" He stopped laughing when he caught the look on his mother's face.

"CHIBI!" She roared, and gave chase.

"Yay! A game of chase!" He yipped, then turned tail and sped off down the steps of the palace. As soon as Amaterasu touched the steps, black ink appeared. She slipped on it, stumbling down the steps, sliding a few feet, and for good measure, crashed into the pillar holding a vase. The vase wobbled, then came crashing down on her head.

"That was awesome!" A mischevious Chibiterasu said. Amaterasu growled and stood up.

"I hate you so much right now."

"Would you hate me if I told you something interesting?"

"No more of your little tricks, Chibi. I'm tired and stressed and the Celestial Plain is so boring and I _need _to get out of this death trap!" Amaterasu slumped her shoulders as she sat down and sighed again. Chibi put on his rare serious face. He sat down next to his mother.

"I talked with Father today," Chibi said quietly. Amaterasu straightened up immediately.

"What? You did? How? The Crystal Pool is constantly guarded! There's no way you could have talked to him," she said, though her heart was grasping on to the hope that her son's words were true.

"They were changing shifts. They had a fifteen minute break."

"At what time was this?"

"Really early. Before you were up. I think they pick different times of day to get a break, so you can't easily figure out when to get to see the pool. I was just lucky enough to find the chink in their armor," he said, using one of Amaterasu's favorite expressions.

Amaterasu gave him a wolfish grin. "I love you so much right now. Tell me, what did you speak to him about?"

Chibi looked up, remembering what he had talked about. "Well, first of all, I was only able to talk to him for a couple minutes before I got too worried the guards were gonna come back."

"Good. I'm proud of you for being careful, or else we'd never be able to talk to him again."

Chibi grinned. "Thank you, Mother. But tell me, does Father know he has a son? He was confused when I called him Father and said he didn't have a son."

Amaterasu looked at her paws. "I haven't had the chance to tell him. Waka's men are constantly guarding the pool."

"Oh. I didn't press the matter of me being his son in case you wanted to keep it a secret," he responded. How noble of Chibi. It seemed that picking on his mother was the only way the poor pup could have some fun, and Amaterasu immediately forgave him for being such an annoying little ball of fur.

"We didn't really talk about much. He said he would wait for you to contact him, but I told him it wouldn't be easy but you would do everything in your power to talk to him again." He paused for a second. "Mother? You know you have power over the land. Why don't you just decide to force Waka to take you rather than back down?"

She smiled. "You know, Chibi, that's a really good idea. And I just thought of something that might help me convince him even easier."

**So that's chapter 1 of A New Land. I must say, I had to release the inner Chibi in me and give this story some fun. Looking back on this chapter, I really think this is one of the best I've done, compared to my other Okami story. Sorry to those Ammy/Waka people, for some reason Waka just came out as a sort of bad guy in this (for reasons unknown to me) but I hope those of you who like the Ammy/Oki pairing enjoyed this. Ciao!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm not going to describe Ammy's and Chibi's human form. I'll let you decide what they look like :D**

"Alright, Chibi. I'm counting on you to deliver this to Waka," Amaterasu said, handing her son a small slip of parchment. "I trust that you will not reveal our secret to anyone, even those you trust. It's our little secret," she said, holding a finger to her lips. Being on the Celestial Plain had its advantages. Amaterasu and Chibi had human forms, and that is exactly what they were going to use to their advantage.

"I won't let you down, Mother," Chibi said, a grin crossing his face. He was so eager to help; he wanted to get out of this place as much as Amaterasu did. Now it was time for her to do her part in the plan. She raced to the kitchen, grabbing two sake jugs and setting them on the table. As strange as it may seem, Amaterasu was always good at chemistry, and got to work making a special potion that would be added to Waka's sake.

A couple minutes later Chibi returned and Amaterasu was nearly done making the potion. She smiled as he walked in. "A guard stopped me so I told him to give the letter to Waka. He should be here by the time you planned."

"That's fine. I'm sure the guard with think it is sincerely a date after he reads it, because I know he'll make sure it's okay to give to Waka." She added a final drop of something unknown to Chibi. He cocked his head.

"What exactly will the potion do, Mother?" He asked.

"It will only amplify whatever feelings Waka has ever had for me, and by the time this date is over, he'll want to do anything for me. We'll have to lock him up for the meeting tonight, though. We don't want to arouse suspicions." As much as she hated drugging the Moon Tribe member, she knew it had to be done for her to have any freedom.

He grinned in understanding. "And how long does this potion last?"

"About a day, so as soon as the meeting is over tonight we'll make our move. I will announce that I am leaving on a vacation, I just hope that none of the other gods disapprove," she responded. She seperated the two sake jugs, one on the part of the table closest to her, the other on the farthest side. She walked over to the one on the farthest side and poured the potion into it. She then sat at her end of the table and instructed Chibi to wait by the door for when Waka came.

Minutes later, a knock sounded at the door. It was dusk, and the sun was just about to drown in the horizon. Amaterasu heard Chibi open the door and invite Waka in. "Welcome! Amaterasu is waiting for you in the kitchen," he told him, then closed the door behind him and went upstairs to his room. Chibi winked at Amaterasu as he ascended the stairs.

"Amaterasu, ma chérie! I apologize for the inconvenience of the Crystal Pool. I believe it will help keep any remaining demons off our scent." He smiled, and Amaterasu nearly rolled her eyes at his usual getup. The same outfit he always wore. She smiled as she remembered Chibi's nickname for him. _Captain Fuzzy-Buttons. _

"Please. It is nothing, I understand. Now, sit and let us enjoy this evening!" Amaterasu said with her charming smile.

"Of course," Waka said as he sat in the chair opposite Amaterasu. "Is this sake?" He asked upon sitting.

"Yes. Freshly brewed. Shall we have a toast?"

Waka stared at the sake, then at Amaterasu. "I appreciate your offer of this sake, Amaterasu, but I'm afraid I must decline. It is against my rules in life to drink such a powerful liquid."

Amaterasu frowned. "But I insist. At least one sip? I will bother you no more with anything if you take just one sip."

He looked at the sake skeptically. "Okay, but only one sip. For you."

Amaterasu exhaled in relief as he took a sip of his sake. It should only take one sip for the potion to take effect. "Amaterasu. This is quite divine, but I must ask you to remove this liquid from me before I destroy your house looking for more."

"Uh, okay," Amaterasu said, taking the jug away from him.

"And make sure you throw it out the window, too."

_Oh goodness. I suppose I should do it, given the fact poor Waka has been drugged. _She casually opened the kitchen window and emptied the jugs of sake onto the grass. _I wonder if it's possible grass could get drunk? I guess I'll find out when it's dead in the morning. _

By the time she turned around, Waka had materialized in her face. "Ma chérie..."

"Oh my gods, Waka... You're a little too close for liking, there, buddy," she said as she took a step back against the wall.

"But ma chérie, do you know how much I love you?" He took a step closer, pinning Amaterasu against the wall.

She needed to play along, as much as she would regret it. _It's the only way! _She thought. So she stepped forward and kissed him. Amaterasu felt so bad at this point. The kiss wasn't even real.

"That was like Heaven," Waka said in a drunken tone.

"Well, newsflash, we _are _in Heaven. Sort of. Now come on. Up to my room." She took Waka's wrists firmly and lead him up the stairs to her room. She sat him on the bed. "You have to stay here. I'll be right back, I promise," she said, turning. She stopped and turned. "And one more thing, Waka. Can you take me to Nippon, please?"

He looked at her. "Of course, ma chérie. Anything for you."

She smiled. "Okay, great. We shall leave when I return." And with that, she turned and marched down the steps, calling for Chibi to follow her. Chibi immediately stepped out of his room, closed the door to his mother's room, and ran down the steps after her.

They transformed into wolves when they stepped outside and without hesitation sped through the cherry blossom orchard to the twin mountains behind it.

"Are we late?" Chibi huffed as they came to a large cave mouth and stopped.

"Probably. Oh well."

They marched inside, and it seemed that every other god was there. Moegami lit the torches and welcomed the two wolves.

"Ah, Mother Amaterasu. Welcome to our monthly meeting, and may I ask why you are late?" Tachigami, the mouse god of Power Slash, asked.

"Ah, well, me and Chibi had some... Business to attend to. I'm afraid Waka won't be showing up today, he has a terrible sickness and couldn't make it out of bed today," Amaterasu lied.

"Then why is he right there?" Bakugami, the god of Cherry Bombs, asked as Waka came stumbling in. Amaterasu gasped, and cursed in a million different languages in her head.

"Chibi, you're in charge! Waka is really sick he shouldn't be here and I will take him back home please pardon the interruption," Amaterasu said, standing up immediately and speaking a million miles an hour. She turned to human form and ran up to Waka. "Come on Waka we're going back. You're really sick you shouldn't be here!"

"Only love sick, ma chérie," he responded, trying to kiss her. All of the gods just stared at the spectacle happening in front of them. Amaterasu glanced at her son, trying to give him the hint. He got it after a few seconds.

"Alright, guys! Let my mom take Waka home, as you can see he is _very _sick. Now, monthly meeting... What to talk about... So, Moegami! Please tell me how you inherited the power of Inferno!" Well, it was better than nothing. Her son was not very good at starting meetings.

After a few seconds, he responded to Chibi. "Well, you see, Chibiterasu... My mother and father were both phoenixes..." By now, Amaterasu had drowned out the conversation around her and lead Waka outside the cave.

"Come on, we have to get back to my palace," she told him.

He glanced at her and gasped. "My, my! I didn't know you loved me _that _much, ma chérie!"

She looked at him, confused for a minute. "Excuse me?" Then she got what he was implying. "Oh my gods, NO!" So she punched him, which knocked him out. "Uh oh," she said. She leaned down and slapped his face a couple times. "Waka! Wake up!" But he didn't. _Whoops, _she thought. So she turned to wolf form and draped him over her back. She ran off back in the direction of her palace.

She ran up the steps, into the palace, and up into her room. She threw him on the bed, and for good measure, used vine technique to tie him to the bed. _There. All done. Now I have to go back to that accursed meeting. _So she sped around, back down the steps, through the cherry blossom orchard, and to the mouth of the cave.

When she walked in, she heard the yelping of her son. "Chibi!" She screamed. She stopped when she caught sight of Chibi, the poor pup was set on fire.

"Mom! Help! Moegami used Fireburst and it accidentally set me on fire!" _Oh my gods! _She thought, so she used deluge to create a downpour, which extinguished Chibi, but also drenched the other gods and put out the torches. She looked at Nuregami, the snake god of water where she had learned deluge from.

"Nuregami, why didn't you use deluge?!" She yelped at the snake.

The snake looked fearfully at the other gods before responding. "So that wouldn't happen..." Amaterasu turned to look at the other gods, which were now all glaring at her.

Moegami ruffled his feathers to try to get dry. "Amaterasu, my sincere apologies for setting your son on fire. I think we were all just a little surprised when he mentioned you were returning to Nippon."

Amaterasu sat down, when she thought: _Wait, I can just dry them all off with Galestorm, right? Then we'll all be in a better mood. _So she drew a loop with her brush, sending the powerful wind through the cave. As soon as she used Moegami's fire to light the torches again, she gasped in shock at what the gods had become. She stifled a laugh, but Chibi full-out exploded with laughter. All of the gods (except for Yomigami and herself) now had their fluffy white fur sticking up as if they'd been electricuted.

She swallowed her laugh. "So, you were saying? Yes, we are planning to return to Nippon. And yes... It is okay with Waka," she lied. She giggled a little bit. Chibi was dying with laughter. "Alright, this meeting did _not _go well... Well, end of the meeting see you next month, possibly, goodbye!"

She picked Chibi up by the scruff of his neck and left the cave, the gods all staring at her in confusion. Amaterasu set her son down only when they reached the middle of the cherry blossom orchard. "Mom, that was the best, most funniest thing you have ever done. Can you do it again sometime?"

She chuckled. "Only if Moegami sets you on fire again, Chibi."

He smiled. "Okay, that won't be hard! I'll just be my usual annoying self and I'll get to see them with affros again!" Amaterasu laughed as they walked back to her palace.

Waka was still knocked out and tied down, so he wouldn't be of much use. At least he wasn't there to stop Amaterasu and Chibi when they reached the Ark.

There were four guards around the Ark of Yamato, each one taking a side of the triangular sky vessel. Amaterasu and Chibi knew that if they power slashed a guard, he would only fall over, just to get up again. Veil of mist worked for about two seconds, and coating them with ink lasted about four seconds. They snuck around the bushes surrounding the clearing where the Ark stayed. Amaterasu power slashed the gaurd by the ladder leading into the ark, then covered him with ink, then used veil of mist. It bought them about ten seconds, in which they raced up the ladder and into the cabin of the ark.


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you have any idea of how to work this thing?" Chibi asked his mom.

"No clue whatsoever," was her response. She smiled as she remembered an expression that she had used many times. "When in doubt, press buttons!" So she did. She pressed a blue button on the control pannel. The Ark shuddered, then was quiet.

"What did that do?" Chibi wondered aloud. Then they heard shouts from outside.

"Where did it go?"

"What happened to the Ark!"

"Where is Captain Waka?!"

_Must've made it invisible_, Amaterasu thought to herself. She started pressing more buttons, each one having a different reaction: shrinking, growing, self-destruct, shield, and many others they haven't yet found out what they did.

Chibi snorted. "Let me handle this, Mom." He pressed a large red button that was labeled "Press to Start" and the Ark shuddered.

Amaterasu laughed. "Well that would make a lot of sense," she said. "What would I do without you, Chibi?"

"Well, first of all, Nippon wouldn't have been saved for the second time, you would still be bored out of your mind at the palace, you wouldn't have known how to get to the Pool to see Oki, you wouldn't have someone to make a distraction at meetings, you-" Amaterasu put a hand over his mouth.

"Alright, I get it already! Let's make this long story short and say that I would probably be lost without you."

He removed her hand from his mouth. "That's my point." He smiled mischieviously.

Amaterasu looked at the screen that flickered to life, which displayed different points on a map. The map was labeled "Nippon" at the top, and Amaterasu felt her heart leap with joy at the thought of having another adventure away from the Celestial Plain. She looked at Chibi. "Alright, Captain Chibi! What next?"

"Well, you pick a place on the map to go and then bam, you go there. I think. I hope."

Amaterasu found the part of the map that she had loved most: Kamui. She tapped the screen on the point "Laochi Lake" and it was the only place to land in Kamui. Nothing happened.

"Why isn't this working?"

"Because it's not a touchscreen, Mom. You have to use the joystick thingy here to move it," he said, pointing at the thing mentioned.

"Oh." She took the joystick and moved it to the left, and noticed a small yellow circle light up around the point labeled "Shinshu Fields." She moved the joystick to the left again, and the yellow circle moved to Laochi Lake. Unsure of what to do next, she turned to Chibi.

"You press this green button under the joystick, I think," he said, walking over and slapping his hand over the button. The Ark shuddered, and with a a lurch, it jolted forward. Two seconds later, they heard the crunch of ice breaking.

"I believe we're here," Chibi commented.

Amaterasu nodded. "Yes. And best turn into your wolf form because it is bitterly cold out there!" So the two transformed into their wolf versions and walked out into the cold air on the deck of the Ark. Amaterasu jumped and backflipped down onto the ice gracefully. Chibi was about to jump but then paused, getting a little nervous about jumping onto ice.

"Hey Mom! I'm gonna use you as a landing pillow okay?" He woofed to her.

In the second she used to say "What?" Chibi had jumped and landed on top of her, making her slip and hit the ice.

"Really, Chibi?" She moaned. He got up off of her and shook himself.

"Sorry. Didn't want to break something if I slipped on the ice."

"Too late for that, Chibi. I think you broke my spine," she said sarcastically. She stood up and immediately felt her back crack. "Ow! Jeez, I think you just might have dislocated some vertebrae, dude," she told him. "I think I might need back therapy now."

"Whoa I'm sorry, Mom. Should I go fetch someone to help?"

"I'll be fine," she responded and took a step. Her back cracked again, shooting pain through her body. She lay down on the cold ice. "Nevermind I need help."

Chibi started to run off to get someone to help, but stopped short when he saw a man with a blue mask step onto the ice. Chibi tried to stop, but he was running too fast and crashed into the man's knee before he had the chance to say "What the?"

"Ow!" He exclaimed, and the impact of Chibi's body made him slip. He looked up at Chibi. "Nice to see you too, Chibi," the man said, sitting up. He rubbed his head, and took notice of a ball of white and red fur a couple paces away from him. "What's that- wait, Amaterasu?" He said, confused and instantly standing up.

"Oki?" She responded with the same amount of confusion.

"Ammy?!" A voice said, and Issun, Amaterasu's old Poncle friend, appeared from Oki's hair. Issun jumped off of Oki and hopped over to Amaterasu.

"Issun, wait!" Oki called after him, following the bouncing green ball of light.

"Hiya, Ammy! It's so great to see you again! I knew one day I would find you!" The poncle said, bouncing on Amaterasu's head.

She chuckled, but stopped when her body was racked with pain again. "It's... great to see... you too, Issun. But I... need some... help here," she moaned.

"Of course," Oki said, scooping her up in his arms. "I would ask what happened but it's obvious you're in too much pain," he said. Amaterasu flinched when Oki touched her, due to shock that he was there and the pain she was in.

Chibi came forward. "I kinda used her as a landing pillow and I think I may have dislocated something," he said, lowering his head in shame.

Issun had failed to notice Chibiterasu until now. "Hey, Chibi's here, too! Great to see- Wait, you're the reason Ammy's injured?" He bounced in Chibi's face, unleashing a string of insults.

"Issun, I would rather see me hurt than Chibi," Amaterasu woofed to her old friend. Her back started to hurt when she said these words. She groaned.

"Come on, I'm bringing you to Kai. If anyone can do anything about this, it's her." Oki said, carefully walking on the ice so he didn't slip and injure Amaterasu even more.

"Wait," said Issun, bouncing after them. "Didn't Kai say she was going on a hunting trip?"

Oki sighed. "Sometimes I wish you weren't right about these things, Issun."

"But unfortunately I am. Can't _you_ just do something about it?" He asked Oki, who shook his head.

"I'm not a healer, Issun. That's Kai's job. I might be able to do something if she were human, but alas, she is not."

"I have a human form," Amaterasu said. "But I don't know if I could transform with my back like this."

Oki seemed surprised. "Well, had I known that, then I bet I could probably do something about your back. You can try if you want, when we get back to my hut."

They trudged through the ankle-high snow, Issun jumping on Chibi's head so he wasn't drowning in the white fluff. In what seemed like ages later, they reached Oki's hut. He carefully set Amaterasu down on the rug next to the fire. "Let's see here..." He sat down cross-legged and ran his hand down her spine. She yelped when he reached the vertebrae a little before her tail, just above her back legs.

"You're hurting her!" Issun yelled, making everyone jump.

"Issun, keep your voice down. And I didn't _mean _to hurt her, I'm simply trying to find where the dislocation is." He paused, and Amaterasu imagined a frown behind his mask. "I'm afraid you're going to have to transform into a human, Amaterasu. It's hard with your fur coat."

She looked up at him, and he nodded reassuringly. So she focused on her human figure, and with a flash, she was human. It didn't come without a price, though. Pain shot through her body with such intensity she thought a raging fire had swept through her.

"Whoa," said Issun. "Does anyone know where the Lucky Mallet is?"

"Issun, Chibi, I'm going to have to ask you to leave for a moment," Oki told the two mentioned, not caring about anything Issun said.

"Why?" Issun demanded.

"Because I do not trust you, Issun, and I'm not so sure if Chibi is mature enough for this."

_Oh gods, this sounds bad, _Amaterasu thought.

"You just want her all to yourself, don't you? Let me remind you that I've known Ammy longer than you have!" Issun was fuming now.

"Issun, I have no desire to be in a relationship right now. Now please leave," Oki said, pointing to the cloth covering the entrance.

Issun showed no signs of leaving. He crossed his tiny arms. Oki sighed. "Chibi, take Issun outside with you. Go get me a bucket of snow, but only enter if I say you can." So Chibi picked up Issun in his mouth and trotted out into the cold.

"Very noble, your son," Oki commented.

Amaterasu ignored the comment out of fear for what Oki was planning to do. "What exactly do you plan on doing?" Amaterasu whispered.

"I pray that this does not make you feel uncomfortable, Amaterasu, but I'm going to need you to remove your kimono so I can see exactly where the dislocation is."

"_What!_" She shouted, panicking. Her mind told her Oki was just interested, but her heart told her it had to be done if she wanted to feel any better. Oki put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but if you wish to feel better then you have to go through with this." Amaterasu nodded, but she was in too much pain to wriggle herself out of the kimono.

"Oki, it hurts too much. You're going to have to do it," she told him. He seemed a little nervous to be in the presence of a goddess, but what really bothered him was that he was going to have to remove her kimono. She was already lying on her stomach, so at least he didn't have to roll her over. He sighed and closed his eyes, taking a piece of her kimono and gently removing it.

He opened his eyes, and willed himself to focus on the task at hand. His eyes kept straying from her back, but he scolded himself when it happened. He moved her long silky white hair out of the way, and he could immediately see where the vertebrae had been dislocated. Very gently, he placed his hand over that part of her spine. Just when Amaterasu thought nothing was going to happen, Oki quickly and firmly jolted the vertebrae back where it belonged on her spine.

"Ahhh!" She cried out, eyes watering from the pain. It only lasted a few seconds, then she was filled with relief as her back felt normal again. She sighed in relief. She turned her head to look up at him, her golden eyes locking into his dark red ones behind his mask. She smiled. "You would be a great healer," she whispered.

He blushed, grateful that his mask would hide it. "I don't know, it seems my only talent is being stubborn," he responded. Amaterasu just stared at him, and he lost himself in her golden eyes. Then he blinked, and got a little nervous when Amaterasu continued to stare at him.

"You have a lot of other talents, Oki. You just have to give yourself some credit," she said, reaching out her hand and resting it on the side of his head. He leaned his head into her hand. They stayed that way, until a voice from outside startled them.

"We got you a bucket of snow! Is it safe to come in?" Amaterasu recognized it as Chibi's voice.

Oki quickly grabbed a blanket and set it over Amaterasu. "Yes, you may come in."

Chibi came trotting in with Issun bouncing on his head. They had found a bucket and it was filled to the top with snow. As Oki thanked them and went to grab the bucket, a tiny snowball hit him on his mask.

"That's for keeping this babe all to yourself," growled Issun.

"Oh, come on, Issun. I just polished this!" Oki said, removing his mask and wiping it on his vest.

"So how's Mom?" Chibi asked, handing the bucket to Oki with his mouth.

"She should be fine, I snapped the vertebrae back in place. She may be a little sore for a couple days, but she'll make a full recovery." He took a handful of snow and walked over to where Amaterasu lay, setting the snow down on top of the blanket so it wouldn't freeze her skin. Amaterasu exhaled in relief.

"Hey Oki?" Amaterasu said, turning her head again to look him straight in the eye. "There's something I haven't told you..."


	4. Chapter 4

"_What?_" Oki exclaimed, the shock evident in his face. "You never told me Chibi was my son!"

Issun was silent, his mouth opened in surprise.

Amaterasu sat up (with some difficulty due to the ache in her back) and wrapped herself up in the blanket. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner, but Waka had the Crystal Pool guarded so there was nothing I could do."

Oki just shook his head. He got up, put his mask back on and left the hut, the three left just watching in silence as he exited. Amaterasu's eyes were filled with sorrow. She sighed.

"He'll come back. He just needs some time to comprehend it," Chibi said reassuringly.

"You never told me that thick-headed warrior was Chibi's dad!" Issun exclaimed, somewhat getting over the shock.

Amaterasu sighed again, and then raised an eyebrow. "Issun, I never got the chance to tell Oki. What makes you think I'd have the chance to tell you, too?"

Issun looked like he was about to make a comeback, but he didn't. "That's a pretty darn good point," he finally said.

The day passed quickly and night soon fell over the land. Oki still had not returned. Amaterasu and Chibi snuggled up together, and Issun had fallen asleep halfway under Oki's rug. It really made the expression "like a bug in a rug" become literal. The three had fallen asleep to the fire's calming crackling and popping sounds.

Amaterasu woke up to nothing in particular, just the faint sunlight coming in from under the cloth in the doorway. Chibi and Issun were still snoozing away. She stood up, careful not to wake the two, and walked out into the cold. The wind whipped at her blanket, her hair being blown into her face. She tied the blanket around her neck like a cape and transformed into a wolf, noticing that the pain did not show up in her back. _Seems a good night's sleep always heals something, eh? _She thought to herself as she followed Oki's tracks, which were now almost covered by the snow. Somewhere along the way he had transformed into a wolf, she noticed this when she stepped in one of his prints that dwarfed her own.

She continued walking, the tracks leading to the forest of Yoshpet. _Of all the places he could've gone, he decided to walk right into Yoshpet, the name literally meaning "consuming forest". _She thought to herself, shaking her head and sighing. She padded into the forest casually, as if there was nothing there that could hurt her. Which there wasn't, apart from the fact that she could get lost. The trees offered some protection from the snow and wind, and Amaterasu could see Oki's tracks more clearly.

She followed them deeper and deeper into the forest, across ice, and through deep snow that reached her chest. The tracks continued across a frozen lake, where the snow was only a quarter of an inch deep. She walked across cautiously, making sure not to slip. Suddenly, her hackles rose and her pace increased slightly as a feeling of being watched settled on her. She heard the ice groan and creak a little ways behind her.

Instinct took over, and her fleetfoot dojo technique activated as a claw sliced through the air where she had been standing not a moment ago. A demon appeared, the one that was like an igloo with a tail that burned when it was knocked out. She didn't care to remember what it was called as she lowered herself into attack position.

The demon was incredibly fast, faster than Amaterasu remembered. She only had time to take defense, other than the attacks she flung at it under veil of mist. Suddenly a strike from behind startled her, and she slipped on the ice, causing her to look up at the demon's accomplice as it poised its claws over her face. She regained her wits and power slashed it, but only after it had raked its claws down her side.

Though she was facing two demons and now bleeding immensely, Amaterasu showed no signs of giving up. And then the rest came. Two more of the same demons appeared on her left, and three more came up on her right. They surrounded her. She was managing to knock them out, but they flew back and the rest of the demons formed a barrier so she couldn't finish her job. She used an exorcism slip, but it didn't seem to be enough to knock them out. It was her only remaining defense, that exorcism slip, and now she was out of ideas.

She tried double-jumping over them, but they only moved the circle around her as she landed. She couldn't use veil of mist anymore, because it sucked up her ink and the ink didn't refill unless you waited long enough, but only after veil of mist's time ran out.

_Well, looks like I'm done for. Better to go down fighting. I'm sorry, everyone. I'm going to die and your sun is going to disappear and you'll all die, too, _she thought as the demons closed in on her. Finally exhausted and losing too much blood, the last thing she saw was a flash of silver before she went unconscious.

**Yes, very short chapter. I apologize for that, but it only seemed right to end it here. Hope you enjoyed it anyway.**


	5. Chapter 5

Amaterasu did not intend on waking up. But she did anyway, and the first thing she saw was Oki's face - or rather, his mask. "Oh no, don't tell me you died, too, Oki," she whimpered.

He cocked his head at her, confused. "Hmm, last time I checked I was alive," he commented.

"Then it must be that the gods have allowed me to speak with you one last time before I go. I'm sorry, Oki," she said, and then realized that she couldn't sit up. Blood caked her fur, and she was sore all over. "You would think that when I die that I wouldn't look like I did when I was killed," she mumbled.

Oki chuckled. "There's a simple explanation for that. You're _not _dead."

"Oki, I appreciate it that you didn't want me to die, but those words won't bring me back," she said, sighing.

"No, I mean you really aren't dead, Amaterasu," he said. "See, I can touch you, right? If you were merely an image, your spirit ascending to the heavens, I wouldn't be able to do this," he said, petting her head.

"There's probably some sad explanation for that as well," she moaned.

He facepalmed. "Look, you're _not _dead, because I saved you from the demons, brought you back to the village, had Kai treat your wounds, and now you're awake," he said calmly, though she could tell he was both relieved and worried.

"So I'm not dead then?" She asked.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Wait, are you saying yes that I _am _dead, or are you confirming that I'm _not _dead?"

He sighed. "What do you think?"

"Must be alive, then."

"You guessed it."

Just then, Chibi walked in with Issun bouncing on his head. "Hey! You're alive, Mom!" He yipped excitedly, licking her face.

"Yes, after a long time confirming that," Oki grumbled.

"What?" Issun asked.

"You don't want to know."

"Okay."

They chatted for a little while before Kai came in with a wet cloth. "Here," she said, handing the cloth to Oki. "I'm going to collect some herbs, I'll be right back," she stated, turning to leave the hut.

"What do I do with this?" Oki called after her, holding up the cloth.

"Focus on the task at hand," she responded, then left.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He wondered aloud.

"I think," said Chibi, "She means she wants you to wash the blood out of Mom's fur."

"Oh," he said. He placed the wet cloth over the four claw marks Amaterasu had endured. As soon as the cloth touched her, she yelped in pain. "What?!" Oki exclaimed, immediately pulling the cloth away. "Did I do something? Are you okay?"

She looked at him for a minute. She imagined a worried look behind that mask. Then she laughed.

"What? What are you laughing at?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh, nothing," she said with a smirk. "Just making sure you were paying attention."

"Paying attention to what?"

"Nevermind."

He sighed and placed the cloth back on her wound. She flinched at the cold touch, but sighed as he gently washed away the blood.

"Thanks," she said, yawning. "Give Kai my thanks as well, her efforts are appreciated," she mumbled, curling up in a ball. Soon flowers started to sprout from underneath her, and her scars shrank until they were completely covered by her fur. She woke up as soon as the process was complete.

Oki stared in surprise at her. "If you can do that, then Kai just completely wasted her herbs on you," he growled.

She looked at him. "That's not true. Being unconscious isn't exactly the same as sleeping for me. Had I been sleeping, it would have been different. I would've died while being unconscious in a gravely injured state, but Kai saved me from that fate."

He took a moment to comprehend it, then said: "I knew that."

"You never admit to anything, do you?"

"No."

She giggled. "Nah, I know you too well. Just like I know you'd never admit that you like me, either," she said under her breath.

"What was that?" Oki asked, not picking up the last thing she had said.

"Nothing. I'm gonna go get some fresh air real quick. I'll be back," she said, then left Kai's hut.

Oki looked at Chibi. "What did she say? Tell me, and I _will _know if you are lying or not."

Chibi grinned. "She said she knew you would never admit that you like her," he woofed quietly.

He was silent for a few seconds. "Who in the world ever said that I liked her? She's a goddess. There's nothing I can do about that." Chibi and Issun just looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously, it's obvious, you thick-headed beast. It's so obvious that a demon could see it. A blind one. And a deaf one, too," Issun commented.

He sighed. "I'm going to get a breather with Amaterasu," he growled, turning into a wolf.

"You said 'with Amaterasu' and you didn't deny that it was obvious! That makes it triple the obvious!" Issun yelled after him.

Chibi wagged his tail. "Man, I didn't know you were so good at getting on people's nerves. We need to team up some time," he woofed happily.

* * *

"Hey, Oki," Amaterasu said as Oki padded up behind her. "I knew it was you because you sound like a bear when you walk. Seriously, you need to work on stealth."

"You tell me I need to work on stealth? Hey, I've caught a good amount of food for this village back in the day," he said, shouldering her playfully. "And will in the future, too." _But_ _do I really sound like a bear?_

"Yup," she said.

_I didn't even say anything!_

"In your mind you did."

_How are you doing that?_

_I'm a goddess. Do you expect anything less of me? _She asked, her voice now in his head.

_You decide to reveal this now? It would've helped a lot in Yoshpet, don't you think?_

_I only just discovered it now. Not that I would've asked you for help anyway, ya big furball._

_Look who's talking. _

_Have you looked in mirror lately? You're like... three times the size of me. Hey, I'll be little furball, you be big furball! How about that? _

_I beg to differ. _

_Speaking of being three times the size of me... it's quite amazing how easily I beat you that time in Kamui. And you had two chances! _

_Alright, now you're just being mean, _he joked.

_I was simply implying that you should train more. Perhaps we can take a stroll to the dojo? _

_Now?_

_Whenever you want, I guess. _

_Whenever I want sounds good to me. _

_So you want to go now?_

_You tell me._

_Yes, we'll go now. Wait, have you ever wanted to travel anywhere else in the world?_

_I've never really thought about it. Why?_

_I don't know... maybe you'd wanna go with me to... this place I hear rumors of. _

_And what place would that be? _

_Ever heard of America?_


	6. Chapter 6

"It's pretty quiet out here, don't you think?" Chibi asked as he strolled outside to join the two wolves. His sentence interrupted their mental conversation.

_Yes. Indeed, Chibi, it is. Oh wait, did I not say that out loud? _Amaterasu asked Oki mentally, now getting used to speaking through her mind, not her mouth.

She cleared her throat. "Indeed it is, Chibi. What brings you out into the cold with us?"

He yawned. "Oh, I was just checking up on ya. Making sure you didn't run off or something like that."

"Why would we run off?" Oki asked.

Chibi gave him a look that said _Do I really need to bring up that conversation again_?

"Well... we were discussing some things," Amaterasu confessed.

"Like what?"

"Like... traveling."

"Like traveling where?"

"Have you ever wanted to go to America?"

"America? Why there?"

Amaterasu sighed. _Too many questions._

_I know, right? _Oki responded.

_Why are we talking like this? _Chibi's voice suddenly entered their thoughts.

_Dang it, Chibi! We're trying to have a mental conversation here! _Amaterasu said, trying to get her son's voice out of her mind.

_I realize that. And I'm part of this conversation, am I not? _Chibi asked.

_Actually, you're not part of this conversation at the moment. _

_Is that my cue to leave?_

_Yup._

_Okay, _he said sadly. Amaterasu could feel his presence leave her mind.

_Phew. So, anyway..._

* * *

"Hey Issun!" Chibi said, trotting back into Kai's hut. "Wanna help me pull a prank on Oki?"

Issun was napping in front of the fire. He stood and stretched. "On Oki? I wouldn't miss that for the world!"

"Okay, but we'll need a plan. And by the way, I think Mom and Oki - well, I guess I should start calling him Dad - are discussing about going on a trip to America."

The Poncle's eyes widened at this. "To America? Why?" Then he paused. "Wait, is this a family trip? If they make me stay here-"

Chibi laughed. "Oh, don't worry. Even if they do, you'll be coming along anyway. We're partners in crime, remember? We help each other."

Issun grinned mischieviously. "Right. And I've also come up with a prank."

"What is it?"

Issun motioned for the pup to come closer. Issun whispered something in his ear, and Chibi laughed.

"That's _perfect_, Issun!"

* * *

_I'm going to have to return to the Plains to pack for this. _Amaterasu sighed, thinking of how hard that will be with Waka still around.

"I'm guessing that it's not going to be easy. How in the world did you even get here anyway?" Oki asked.

Amaterasu looked away for a second. "Um... it was... hard," she said hesitantly.

"Are you going to need help?"

"Hmm... possibly. Though I don't know how you're going to help with your extreme lack of stealth," Amaterasu said jokingly.

"I will get you one day, Amaterasu. You won't even see me coming," Oki growled playfully.

She smiled. "I would just _love _to see you try. But let's save that for later. Right now, we have to get back to the Plains so I may gather my things." With that, the white wolf got up and stretched. "Right now our only option is to use the Ark to get back, but I'm sure it will not go unnoticed."

"Then it's going to be pretty hard. You can't just... buy clothes there?" Oki asked.

"No, I can't. And besides, I might as well tell the other gods where I'm going, right? It would be unfair to them," Amaterasu responded.

Oki sighed. "Well, we have yet to get this over with. Come on, let's get Chibi and Issun."

"Wait," Amaterasu called after him. Oki stopped and turned. "I think we should leave Issun here, and make it more of a family trip," she said.

Oki tilted his head sideways, as if debating whether or not he should argue. "That's fine. But we had best not tell him we are planning a trip, or you know what will happen..."

Amaterasu nodded in understanding. "Indeed." She coughed. "Come on. And a warning: Issun _will _be able to tell that we're hiding something, so you better have some good excuses." She flicked her tail dramatically as she entered Kai's hut again.

_Good excuses? _He thought, following the goddess inside. _I might as well go drown myself in the lake. I am horrible at making excuses!_

* * *

"You know, Ammy, I can read you like a book. Let me guess-" Issun started to say, but Amaterasu cut him off.

"I'm not going to let you guess. Now come on, Chibi, let's go. We're heading back to the Plains real quick so I can grab some stuff."

Chibi yelped in surprise. "Mom, we can't go back there! Who knows what will happen if Waka-"

She silenced her son with a flick of her tail. "That is exactly why Oki is coming with us. He'll do the fighting and the distracting."

"_What?!_" Oki yelped. "Why me? Can't you-" he stopped when he realized arguing with a goddess wasn't the best idea. Amaterasu threw a glare at him, which also helped to shut him up. "Okay, fine," He mumbled.

She smiled. "Great, I'm glad that's settled. Now let's go." She trotted out of Kai's hut, the gang following behind her. "Oh, and Issun," she said, turning to the Poncle hopping beside her. "Do give my thanks to Kai when she meets you back at the hut."

The Poncle stopped, unfortunately in front of Oki who accidentally stepped on him. Oki yelped as Issun's sword, Denkomaru, dug into his pad. "Yow!" He licked his paw as Issun snorted.

"That teaches you ungraceful balls of fur to step on me!" Issun said, sheathing his sword. He turned to Amaterasu. "You're leaving me here?"

The look in Amaterasu's eyes showed no sympathy. Maybe pity, but not sympathy. She nodded slowly. "Yes. We're considering it more of a... family trip," she woofed.

Issun sighed. "I figured as much. Well, I'll go give Kai your thanks."

"That was easier than expected," Oki commented, watching Issun leave. Chibi held back a smirk. He was the only one who knew what Issun really _was _doing.

They walked in silence until the three wolves reached the Ark. This time, there was no rainbow leading a bridge up into it, so they'd have to make-do with the ladder. Of course, Amaterasu could double-jump, so she was all set. As for Oki and Chibi...

"A ladder?" Oki asked. "No problem." He transformed into a human, leaving poor Chibi with no way to get into the Ark. Amaterasu noticed this, and called to Oki.

"Oki, take Chibi up with you," she said from the top of the ark.

Oki turned to look at Chibi, his hand resting on the ladder Amaterasu had thrown down for him. He sighed. Chibi bounded over to him and jumped up into Oki's arms, nearly causing the warrior to lose his footing. Honestly, holding a wolf pup was harder than it sounded, even for Oki. "Dang, Chibi, you weigh more than you look," he groaned.

Amaterasu stared at her son before declaring, "Chibi, you've been sneaking some of my Holy Bones, haven't you?"

"Um... no..." The pup said hesitantly.

"Mhmm." Amaterasu flicked her tail, then turned and disappeared inside the Ark.

After a long ten minutes of trying to get Chibi up the ladder, Oki and the wolf pup finally managed to reach the entrance of the Ark. The walked into the cabin (after some time to get a breather) and found Amaterasu in her human form, sitting in front of the controls. She laughed when they stumbled in.

"You know, I just realized there was another door to get into the Ark," she laughed. "It's right at the base of the Ark, no climbing required."

Oki remained silent for a few seconds. "Are... you... kidding... me?!" He growled. "After all that... you decide to reveal that now?!"

After some time arguing, the three finally settled down long enough for Chibi to get the Ark on the path to the Celestial Plain, where they might have to face the wrath of Waka...


End file.
